Meet the man who discovered The Seafarers!

The following was sent to me from Frank P. Tomasulo, Ph.d (Florida State Univ.). I am posting it as it is of great interest to Kubrick fans who maybe wondering who exactly discovered the film in the first place? Gene Phillips is often given credit - incorrectly - for locating the film and including information about in his his 1975 book on Kubrick, but it was Tomasulo who actually discovered the film for what it was: A film by Stanley Kubrick. Sadly, the film again became 'lost' (to the public that is) and was only available for viewing at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC. it was not until yours truly contacted the Seafarers International Union; procurred the rights to the film and had it released onto DVD that everyday viewers could see it at their leisure. Please read and enjoy.

- Alexander Pietrzak (Executive Producer of The Seafarers DVD).

"When I signed on as Audio-Visual Director for the SIU, I started my assignments down in Piney Point, Md. The first thing I did was ask to see all the previous movies and other A/V materials made by and about the union.

So, they set me up in a screening room and showed me THE SEAFARERS. I was flabbergasted when the credits came up: Photographed and Directed by STANLEY KUBRICK. I asked if there was another filmmaker named Stanley Kubrick because I was familiar with SK's early documentaries but had never heard about this one.

They told me that yes, it was made by THE Stanley Kubrick during his young and struggling days. They also told me that SIU President Paul Hall, who is seen making a speech in the film, took direction well from SK. Hall supposedly said, "I'm the expert on the union but this kid's the expert at filmmaking."

The SIU MAY have published a brief article that I wrote about the film in the union newspaper, THE SEAFARERS LOG, whose offices were in the union headquarters building in Brooklyn (and probably still are). If they have an archive (especially a digital archive), you might be able to dig that article up, although it may not tell you much more than you already know now. Alternatively, the SEAFARERS LOG may be archived at the Harry Lundgren School on the shipboard library where I used to do my research for the projects I worked on. (I used to say that I had Stanley Kubrick's old job.) Finally, the AFL-CIO library in D.C. MAY have a collection of old SEAFARERS LOGs and a decent print of the film, but I wouldn't pin too much hope on my ancient article written in 1973 or 1974. That was already 20 years after the film was made and memories were fading even then.

I assume that most of Kubrick's collaborators have passed away; for instance. Don Hollenbeck (who I believe narrated the movie) committed suicide during the McCarthy era (1954), an event that was alluded to in the recent film GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK.

I recall a few specific images from the film, even though it's been 36 years since I last saw it. One was a shot of seafarers coming off a ship. As the narrator extols the union, the men move (left to right, the natural movement of the eye) from the shadows into sunlight on the pier. (I think the music may have been welling up too.)

Another image was a tracking shot along the New York waterfront, probably from a tugboat or ferry. A prominent warehouse sign said, "WATERMAN," which I guess was some nautical company.

Finally, I thought it interesting that Kubrick focused on the SIU's early use of computer technology back in 1953. After all, HAL didn't appear until 1967!"

Frank Tomasulo (April, 2010)